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BOSTON—This 2013 World Series has belonged to Red Sox slugger David Ortiz.

It’s not just the statistics Big Papi posted through the first five games, accounting for 43 per cent of his team’s runs, scoring five and driving in six, with two home runs. There was the impromptu dugout meeting prior to the sixth inning of Game 4, and there’s the mere presence in the clubhouse that dominates the room.

“I haven’t played with many superstars,” left-hander Jon Lester said, after beating the Cards in Game 5. “But this guy right here is the epitome of a superstar, and a good teammate. And I don’t think you could ever ask for more out of an individual than what he does on and off the field.”

Remember that Lester tribute came at a moment when the Red Sox starter could easily have laid claim to being the front-runner for World Series MVP, having defeated Cards ace Adam Wainwright twice, allowing just one run in 15.1 innings.

But Lester knows who is Boston’s true MVP.

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The amazing thing is that through five games, despite the rest of the Red Sox batting a combined .151 with 22 hits in 146 at-bats, Cards manager Mike Matheny has continued to have his pitchers challenge Ortiz with runners on base. An example of valour over discretion was the first inning of Game 5, with Dustin Pedroia on second and two out. Ortiz lined a double to right off of Wainwright.

“We take everything we can into consideration and the way the game’s playing out,” Matheny said. “That’s all there is to it. Sometimes when we’re doing that, it doesn’t even work out how we’re playing it. We’ve got to stay ahead with the game and stay with our plans and adjust those plans as we go. We’re going to use all the information we can get our hands on.”

Heading into Game 6, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes, Will Middlebrooks, Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Shane Victorino were a combined 5-for-69, an .071 average, yet they were one win away from bringing home a third championship this century.

Why would Ortiz be given anything to hit with men on base? Consider the fact that in his 11 plate appearances with men on base, Ortiz is 5-for-6 with four walks and a sac-fly — a bases-loaded drive that Carlos Beltran pulled back from being a grand slam. Even the out with which he was credited he was safe on the key Game 1 error by Peter Kozma originally called out by Dana DeMuth.

“I’ve got my mindset,” Ortiz said. “When I go to the plate I try to look for a strike and try not to get out of it. And that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing all year.”

The ultimate example of a World Series manager picking his poison was in 2002, with Mike Scioscia and the Angels and how they handled Barry Bonds, whose hitting persona was as fearsome or perhaps moreso than Ortiz at that point in time. Bonds, in the seven-game series won by the Angels, was 8-for-17, a .471 average, with two doubles, four homers, six RBIs and a stunning 13 bases-on-balls — seven of them intentional.

Historically, it’s amazing how often the game’s biggest stars come up big in the World Series. Examining a sample of only six or seven game Fall Classics played over the past 50 years, here is a list of five future Hall of Famers that came up big on the biggest stage of the baseball season:

1993 Paul Molitor, Blue Jays: Yes, it was the Joe Carter touch-’em-all Series, but it was Molitor, the Jays’ DH, that earned MVP honours. Similar to Ortiz, when the 1993 series shifted to the NL city, the Jays decided to play Molitor in the field to keep his bat in the lineup. He played first base in Game 3, then third base in Games 4 and 5. For the six-game series, he was 12-for-24 with 10 runs and eight RBIs. He tripled and homered and was on base when Mitch Williams delivered the fateful pitch.

1979 Willie Stargell, Pirates: The Pirates had trailed the O’s three games to one when Pops helped carry the ‘We Are Family Bucs’ back with a personality and leadership style similar to Big Papi’s. Stargell slammed a three-run homer in Game 7 that led the Bucs to a 4-1 win and the crown. Stargell for the series was 12-for-30, .400, with four doubles, three homers and seven RBIs.

1977 Reggie Jackson, Yankees: The straw that stirs the drink, Jackson, in his first season in the Bronx, made an impact on Yankees fans in his first World Series in pinstripes. In a clinching Game 6, he hit consecutive homers against Burt Hooton, Elias Sosa and Charlie Hough — on three consecutive pitches. For the series, Jackson was 9-for-20, .450, with five homers, eight RBIs and 10 runs.

1971 Roberto Clemente, Pirates: The Bucs fell behind two games to none in Baltimore before returning to Three Rivers Stadium for the middle three games. They won all three at home then clinched in a Game 7 at Baltimore. Clemente hit safely in all seven games and homered in a 2-1 Game 7 victory in support of a four-hitter by Steve Blass. Clemente’s defence and leadership were key factors.

1967 Lou Brock, Cardinals: The leadoff hitter was more than just a stolen base threat. Brock in Game 1 was 4-for-4 with a walk. For the seven games vs. the Red Sox, he was 12-for-29, .414, with eight runs and seven steals, plus a game-tying two run homer in the seventh inning of Game 6.

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